


fallen star, i'm your one call away

by sanhascroissant



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Science Fiction, Star Trek AU, betazoid jaemin, i love my space boys, jeno is whatever species u want him to be go crazy go stupid i never specified, romulan xiaojun, scifi, spacey boys, vulcan renjun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 13:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20228554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanhascroissant/pseuds/sanhascroissant
Summary: Space— the final frontier.These are the voyages of the Starship Dream and its 5 year mission to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!





	fallen star, i'm your one call away

**Author's Note:**

> the nct dream star trek au. is here, squad.
> 
> BIGGEST THANKS EVER TO hara (@pastel) and lee(@bunnyctzen) for beta'ing this and putting up with my screamingsknsdhh
> 
> title is also thanks to lee's GALAXY BRAIN everyone say thank you lee
> 
> enjoy the story, yall! kudos and leave me nice comments to read on my break if u feel like it!!!  
thank u in advance for reading!!!  
-robin <3

**Space— the final frontier. **

**These are the voyages of the Starship Dream and its 5 year mission to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!**

_——_

_Captain’s Log, Stardate 2223.35_

_Captain’s Log, Captain Mark Lee speaking. _

_At 0800 hours this morning, we received a distress signal from Vesna, a federation planet in the Orias System. The distress signal is automated, no details of the situation have been given. We are on our way at Warp five with all available speed. _

_Lee out. _

_——_

_Chief Science Officer’s Log, Stardate 2223.35 _

_Chief Science Officer’s Log, Commander Huang Renjun speaking._

_Vesna, the federation plant from which we have received a distress signal, is populated by carbon-based life forms and vegetation. Its people have been described as “willowy” and similar to vegetation found on Earth._

_The Vesnians have created a sustainable civilization, most notably without the period of industrialization that defines most other planets. Their technology has advanced without the use of combustion or steam engines. They are not any richer in resources or technology than any other planet, making an attack from Federation enemies unlikely. _

_As of the Federation’s last visit to the planet, there was no sign of danger. Vesna is bountiful with natural resources and has no enemies to speak of, remaining politically neutral outside its membership of the Federation. _

_The nature of the distress signal is unknown, and as Chief Science Officer, I can fathom no logical reason for Vesna to be under attack. Upon arrival on the planet, I, along with Science Officers Lucas Wong and Xiao Dejun, will beam down to the planet to investigate, as our transmissions sent by Communications Officer and Xenolinguist Lee Donghyuck remain unanswered. _

_Huang out. _

_——_

The moment that they entered Vesna’s orbit, Jeno knew something was wrong. A perpetually cheery Jaemin had fallen serious, and a frown creased his forehead.

“Doctor Na, report.” Mark Lee sat in the Captain’s chair. His eyes were fixed on Vesna, stretched out before them on the screen.

“Nothing.” Jaemin’s voice was confident, but Jeno could hear the concern carefully hidden in his professional tone. “Even with my empathic senses, I can’t feel anything from the planet. If I didn’t know better, I would say this planet has never been inhabited.”

Mark’s face, already worried, fell more serious. “Commander Donghyuck, send a transmission.”

“Certainly, Captain.” Even Donghyuck didn’t crack a single joke, spinning in his chair to the complicated equipment that Jeno had nearly failed out of the Academy for being unable to understand.

“This the Federation Starship NCT-1701, USS _Dream_ to Vesna Central Command. Dream to Vesna Central Command. Do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?” There was nothing but static on the other end. A moment later, Donghyuck repeated the message in Vesnian, the rapid and sharp syllables foreign to Jeno’s ears. Still, there was nothing but static.

“I hate to say it, but I don’t think you’re going to receive a response,” Jaemin said, his brow still furrowed. “It’s possible their biology is too different for me to interpret their emotions, but none of my research suggests that that’s the case. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that the away team won’t find any inhabitants on the planet.”

A chill shot down Jeno’s spine. How could an entire planet’s population disappear? But Jaemin’s betazoid senses had never been wrong before, and he already had the sinking feeling that Jaemin was right. 

“You professional opinion is appreciated, Doctor Na,” Mark said. He stood. “But a professional opinion is not enough. We have to see for ourselves.” He spun on his heel to leave the bridge. “Commander Huang, on me. Ensign Lee, you have the conn.” Jeno scrambled up from his seat to sit in the captain’s seat as Renjun followed Mark into the elevator. 

Donghyuck was already calling over the ship’s intercom. “Ensign Zhong to transporter room 7A. Ensign Zhong to transporter room 7A.”

When Renjun’s away team had beamed to the surface and Mark was comfortably back in his seat, Jaemin stood, approaching the viewscreen. His frown deepened as Renjun’s voice crackled through the communicator.

“Captain, there appear to be no lifeforms on Vesna. My readings show no signs of any potential danger.” Renjun’s voice was deadpan as ever, but somewhere there was a hint of bemusement. “Apart from the obvious absence of life, the planet seems unaffected. The distress signal was automatically deployed after a period of no activity: it appears to have been a failsafe protocol, meaning we have no exact timeframe for the Vesnian’s disappearance.”

“Understood, Commander Huang. Lieutenant Wong, report.”

Lucas Wong, the cuddliest Klingon that Jeno knew, responded promptly; his voice was the most serious Jeno had ever heard it. “All readings are normal, captain. The soil is not contaminated, and the water is clean. Any pandemic would have left some trace in either the water, soil, or body count. But as there are no bodies to speak of...”Lucas trailed off. 

An eerie silence fell over the bridge.

“Understood, Lieutenant Wong. Lieutenant Xiao, anything to add?”

“I’m afraid not, Captain. What Lieutenant Wong says is true— whatever the reason for the Vesnian’s extended vacation, it left no trace.” Jeno could almost hear Dejun’s shrug, clearly at a loss for an explanation.

“Hmm. Commander Huang—” Mark got no further. There was a strangled gasp on the other end of the comm, a horrified “_Commander_! _Dream_, request immediate extraction!” that sounded like Lucas, and then the line went dead. Mark bolted up from his seat.

“Chenle! Lock on and beam them out of there!” Mark’s professionalism was gone, fear in his eyes.

“Aye, Captain!” Chenle’s voice echoed onto the bridge. “I’ve got all three of them!”

In the chaos, Jeno looked at Jaemin. He was white as a sheet, and Jeno felt concern tear through him at the sight. But Jaemin was a doctor, he could take care of himself. In fact, he was already lowering himself down to sit on his chair. 

“Jaemin, report. What do you feel?” Mark turned to the side, and Jaemin looked up at him.

Jaemin swallowed.

“Renjun… his mental shields are always so strong, standard for a Vulcan. I can only ever sense hints of emotion from him, and even then, only things he doesn’t mind me feeling. But just now?” Jaemin’s voice was grim as he faced Mark.

“A burst of pure panic from him, and concern from a Klingon and a Romulan.”

Mark paced. “Jeno, go to the transporter room. Report back to the bridge on their status— Chenle says he had them, so surely they're on the way back as we speak.” Jeno nodded, and stood at his station, preparing to leave the bridge. 

“Jeno?” He turned back. Jaemin’s eyes were imploring. “Hurry. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Jeno nodded once, curt, and rushed into the elevator with renewed purpose. 

“Transporter 7A,” he said, and the elevator was off.

When he arrived, Chenle was flustered. 

“They’re about to materialize, but something’s off; the transporter is going crazy. It’s still working, but there’s numbers here that I’ve never seen on any transporter… anywhere. Plus, the trip went on for a lot longer than it should have, and they were hard to lock on to.”

“It’s alright, Chenle. Despite all of that, you have them.” Jeno rested his hand on Chenle’s shoulder, and at that moment, the transporter flared to life. 

“Gotcha,” Chenle muttered, and he pushed the buttons to initialize. The transporter whirred and roared, and three figures finally began to appear on the transporter pad. Jeno let out a sigh, and Chenle deflated, relieved. 

Renjun, still mid-transport, looked up and met Jeno’s eyes. 

Jeno felt as though he’d been punched in the gut, Renjun’s eyes wide and fearful.

The transporter stopped whirring, but Renjun still hadn’t solidified. Instead, he, Lucas, and Dejun continued to fade.

Beside him, Chenle swore and began to fiddle with the transporter controls in a panicked flurry. Renjun reached his hand out.

“Jeno…” His voice was not Renjun’s familiar Vulcan timbre, but was shaking, unsure. He was trying to get something across to Jeno, but Jeno didn’t know what.

And then it hit him. Renjun was saying goodbye.

“Oh, christ,” Jeno nearly tripped rushing over to the transporter pad. He pulled Renjun, who only continued to fade, into a hug. “Renjun, you’re going to be okay. We’ll figure this whole thing out and then we’ll save you, okay? I promise. I’m your best friend, and you may be the problem solver in this friendship, but I’ll let you take a pass on this one.”

Renjun, who was barely visible, pulled back and smiled, tears in his eyes. “Friendship is a bit of an emotional term.”

“Shut your Vulcan mouth.” Jeno was trying his best not to cry, and Renjun was only a shadow. 

“I’ll see you soon,” Renjun said, and then he was gone, flickering out of existence before Jeno’s eyes. The transporter room was silent, Jeno crouched alone on the transporter pad, Chenle shell-shocked at the controls. 

Jeno slammed his hand onto the ground and pushed himself up to standing. He turned and Chenle’s bottom lip was quivering, tears threatening to spill over.

“I _had_ them,” He said, his voice shaking. Jeno couldn’t think of how to answer. 

_——_

_Captain’s Log, Supplemental. Stardate 2223.37_

_Captain’s Log Supplemental, Captain Mark Lee speaking. _

_We arrived on Vesna to discover the planet totally abandoned. A landing party, including First Officer Lieutenant Commander Huang Renjun of Vulcan, Science Officer Lucas Wong of Kronos, and Science Officer Xiao Dejun of Romulus went to the surface to collect readings and investigate. _

_Approximately twenty three minutes into their time on the planet, we heard Lieutenant Wong call for immediate extraction, and the away team beamed back up. _

_Upon the away team’s arrival, Ensigns Zhong Chenle and Lee Jeno witnessed them vanishing into nothing before their eyes. As of right now, I am declaring Officers Huang, Wong, and Xiao as missing in action. _

_Ship’s Doctor Na Jaemin of Betazed has been given the temporary position of Chief Science Officer in Huang Renjun’s absence. Our investigations will continue, and upon conclusion of this Log I shall send word to Starfleet Command of our situation and await further instructions. _

_Lee out. _

_——_

_Captain’s Personal Log, Stardate 2223.37_

_Captain’s Personal Log, Captain Mark Lee speaking. _

_Why does this keep on happening? Why can’t I protect my crew?_

**[There appears to be a long period of silence. Do you wish to trim the audio?]**

_Lee out. _

_——_

_Chief Science Officer’s Log, Stardate 2223.37_

_Chief Science Officer’s Log, Ship’s Doctor Na Jaemin speaking._

_As of this date, I am assuming command of the Chief Science Officer position in the absence of Commander Huang Renjun. I will fulfill his duties to the best of my abilities, and work to ensure his safe return._

_I will continue my duties as ship’s doctor and counselor in the interim. _

_No significant progress has been made in our research of the away party’s disappearance from the transporter thus far. The crew is stretched thin, particularly in the science department, and while I am doing my best, Lieutenant Commander Huang Renjun typically took the lead on dilemmas such as these. _

_Despite the loss of three valuable members of the team, the crew is performing adequately, working around the clock for theories and answers. As of now, there are none of note. However, the fact that they continued to fade when already aboard the Dream indicates that whatever force it was that caused their disappearance, possibly some kind of energy or tractor beam, it can evade our shields._

_Na out. _

_——_

_Personal Log, Stardate 2223.37_

_Personal Log, Helmsman Lee Jeno speaking._

_It’s been a long time since I’ve used this log, but I need to talk to someone, even if that someone is just myself. Jaemin’s been too busy, with the science department so understaffed…_

_The look in Renjun’s eyes in the transporter as he vanished is keeping me awake at night. I’ve never seen a Vulcan look afraid, and Renjun’s the bravest of them all. Vesna isn’t the worst thing we’ve faced on the five year mission but…_

_Renjun is my best friend and I just lost him. I don’t know what the hell happened. Is he dead? _

_Not knowing is hard._

**[There appears to be a long period of silence. Do you wish to trim the audio?]**

_Jeno out. _

_——_

_Transmission to NCT-1701, USS Dream via Starfleet Command. Stardate 2223.37_

_NCT-1701, USS Dream. Starfleet Command, Admiral Lee Taeyong speaking. _

_The situation on Vesna, given the information provided by your Science Department and the information contained within the Captain and First Officer’s Logs, has been upgraded from priority beta to alpha, and the planet placed on quarantine, including the USS Dream and all individuals aboard it._

_The NCT-0127, USS Seoul, and NCT-2322,USS Vision have been sent to a neighboring quadrant, supplies on hand. However, Captain Jung Jaehyun of the USS Seoul and Captain Qian Kun of the USS Vision have strict orders not to approach or expose any of their crew to the dangerous area._

_It deeply pains me to refuse further assistance, but we cannot risk sending in any more starships until the situation and surrounding area has been deemed safe and any form of pandemic completely arrested._

_On a more personal note, Mark, you know that I wouldn’t leave you out there to drown. You have the full support of Starfleet behind you and open communication with the Science officers and crews of both Vision and Seoul. Somehow, I don’t think you’ll need it. Dream was chosen for the five year mission for a reason. _

_My thoughts and prayers go with you, Mark. I hope the next time I get a transmission from you it’s not for a potentially deadly crisis. All my love._

_Admiral Lee out. _

_——_

When Jeno came to check up on the medbay per Mark’s orders, it was a flurry of activity; Science Officers rushing back and forth. Jaemin was standing in the center of the chaos, signing PADDs and directing ensigns, doing his best to coordinate the entire science department and the medbay at once, their staff stretched thin with the loss of Renjun, Lucas, and Dejun. 

Jeno saw Yangyang helping out at the back as a nurse. He waved at his fellow helmsman and Yangyang waved back, grinning. Mark had pulled him off helmsman duty to assist Jaemin, leaving Jeno alone at his post; he found he missed Yangyang’s quips and jokes. 

“Jaemin!” The Betazoid turned, his eyes wildly overtired, already reaching out to sign something else when he saw Jeno. He smiled, and the slightest amount of tension bled from his shoulders. 

“Jeno! What brings you down here?”

“Mark wants a status report for the bridge, so here I am.” Jaemin grinned and lead Jeno to the front desk. He began to rummage through the papers and PADDs scattered across the surface, chatting away to Jeno as he did. 

“Things are going about as well as they can be down here. The science team is working around the clock, because of how few of us there are, and we’re trying to explore every possible route. Some kind of beaming technology, a pandemic of some kind, anything that we can think of, we’re running a test for it. The _Seoul_ and the _Vision_ are trying to help but we can’t send over any samples for them to test thanks to the quarantine, so they’re not as useful as they could be.” Jaemin sighed, and then grinned. “Aha! Found it!” He pulled out a stack of papers and dumped them into Jeno’s arms. 

“Thanks,” Jeno said. “Anything specific to report besides this?”

Jaemin frowned. “Yeah, actually. The computers are acting up. It’s strange. They seem to be spitting out codes we never asked for and being generally buggy. They’re not broken or anything, but they’re being a lot slower than usual, and the timing couldn’t be worse.” He laughed a little shakily, his eyes tired, and ran a hand through his hair. 

“We kind of need them operating at their best, so if you could get Mark to put someone from Engineering on it, that would be appreciated.”

“Sure thing.” Jeno turned to leave, but turned back as Jaemin was about to rejoin the fray. “Jaemin?” 

Jaemin turned. Jeno smiled at him. “You’re doing really great.” 

Jaemin paused, eyes widening for a split second before he broke out into a wide smile, eyes softening. “Thanks Jeno,” he said. “You too!”

Jeno laughed, and left to report to Mark. 

——

Another week passed with no leads before Mark had had enough.

“That’s it,” he said, slamming a hand down on the table in the conference room. The officers around the table jumped in surprise at Mark’s outpouring of emotion. “We have to do something.”

“Captain,” Jaemin interjected, leaning forward. “The science team is doing everything we can to locate the inhabitants of Vesna and our missing crew members. While I agree that something needs to be done, we’ve exhausted our resources.”

Chenle, from beside him, nodded solemnly in agreement. “Ensign Park and I have taken the transporter apart and put it back together twice now, and we’ve found nothing wrong with it, or any indication of what could have happened. We suspect it isn’t a transporter malfunction, but that leaves us with no leads.”

Ensign Park Jisung nodded fervently beside Chenle. “I’ve pulled the transporter codes from engineering, and it’s clear that it had latched on to their signals. In fact, the transporter shows a successful transport, indicating that they arrived safely on board. However, that runs contrary to what Commander Lee and Ensign Zhong saw that day.”

Yangyang and Jeno met eyes from across the table, and Jeno saw his own fear reflected in Yangyang’s eyes. 

“What about the computer?” Mark asked. The whole team squirmed. Renjun was the real computer whiz on the bridge. Yangyang had been trying to work with the computers and find the error in order to fix it, but despite his best efforts, they’d only grown more and more finicky, glitching nearly any time it was used. 

“I’ve been working my way through the coding,” Yangyang said. “There doesn’t seem to be anything that would be making the computers act like this, but the software that I ran could also be corrupted. I’m starting to worry that I’m going to have to look through the code manually, and that could take _months_, even with a whole team. If we have to take that route, we should start sooner rather than later. The code is already deteriorating quickly enough as it is.”

The bridge crew fell silent at that, the chilling reality setting in. The computer ran nearly all the systems on the ship— though it had only started glitching now, if the problem persisted and the ship continued to deteriorate, the _Dream_ was doomed. 

“Thank you, Ensign Liu.” Mark’s voice was steady, a counter to the rising concern in the room. He turned to address them all, but paused, folding his fingers together as he thought. He sighed and looked up at them.

“We have a few options. One, we continue as we have, making no contact with the planet and hoping to find an answer in time.” Mark frowned. “That isn’t an acceptable course of action. We need more information, and that leads us to option two.” He paused and reluctantly, he said, 

“We go back down to the planet with a new away team and examine their equipment. Maybe they’ll have readings we don’t have, maybe we’ll find signs of the same computer problems we’re experiencing and we’ll see how it will affect the Dream in the long term.” Mark looked up, resolute. “But we can’t stay here. We’re sitting ducks, and we’re not learning anything new. Another away team is our only chance.”

The team looked around at one another. Mark was right. As hard as the Science and Engineering Departments were working, they had no tangible leads. They were flying blind, and Jeno knew from experience how difficult that is. They needed to know what happened on Vesna, and returning to the planet, dangerous as it seemed, was the only way.

They’re the USS _Dream_. They all knew what they were signing on for with the 5 year mission, and Jeno was prepared to go planetside if it meant that they have a chance of finding Renjun again. 

He looked up from the table. “You’re absolutely right, Captain. I’ll go.”

——

Jeno stood on the transporter pad; Jaemin directly to his right, and Jisung between them. For safety, clipped to each of their belts was a tracker so the transporter had a secondary source location to lock onto if they began to vanish. 

As the ship’s most competent doctor, Jaemin equipped himself with a bag of medical supplies and a tricorder. For Jisung, a bag of tools he’d need to tackle the Vesnian’s computer systems and universal translator software— just in case. Jeno carried his phaser, a tricorder of his own, and the communicator they’d need to report back to the bridge on the Dream. 

They had no way of gauging the danger they’d face planetside, so it certainly didn’t hurt to prepare accordingly. 

Mark stood in front of them, ready to send them off. His expression was serious, worry clear on his face— Jeno knew how much he hated being stuck on board to tend to his duties as a captain, left to worry about what happened to his crew down below.

“Come back safely,” He said tersely. 

Jeno nodded, meeting his eyes. A promise. _We will._

Jeno looked at Chenle. The boy nervously ran his fingers along the top of the transporter control board, and there was fear in his eyes when he looked at Jeno. Jeno smiled back at him reassuringly._ It won’t happen again, _he promised himself, repeating it like a mantra._ Chenle won’t have to go through that again. _

“Energize,” Jeno said, tone projecting more confidence than he was sure he had at the moment. Chenle swallowed and pushed the buttons upwards, and Jeno watched as Mark and Chenle faded from view. He blinked and when he opened his eyes, they were on Vesna.

“Report,” Mark’s voice came over the communicators.

“Wow,” Jisung said, eyes wide. “It’s so _green_.” Jeno couldn’t have said it better himself. A lush green grass-like plant grew wild across the ground, and strange alien plants grew tall around them, lurid colored flowers blooming on speckled green stalks. The feeling was eerie, like they were walking in an abandoned rainforest.

“Fascinating,” Jaemin breathed, his tricorder whirring as it took in the atmosphere and reported back to him. “They domesticated the plants early on in their history. Most of the plants here are, to some degree, sentient. The Vesnians have learned to communicate with them, which explains why they never had an industrial era. The plants form most of their buildings and help to run nearly all of the planet’s systems.” He looked up with wonder at Jeno. “The entire planet functions using highly advanced bio-technology. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

Jisung hummed, looking at his own tricorder. “Yeah. I think this investigation is going to require a lot more collaboration than I expected. I can understand machines, but here their systems are composed of live matter, which is honestly more Doctor Na’s area.”

“Understood,” Mark said, all business. “Continue to report. We are locked on to your signals and trackers.”

Jeno closed the communicator and they ventured forward, heading down what he assumed to be a main city street. A massive structure woven from vines loomed ahead of them, flowers blooming up and down the terraces. 

“That’s their mainframe,” Jisung said, gesturing to the building in question. “I triangulated the location that the distress signal had been originating from, and tracked it to that building. If the virus that’s in our computers was affecting theirs, we’ll find it in there.”

Inside the building it was surprisingly light, the vines leaving space for light to filter though. Dust passed through the beams of sunlight, moving languidly through the air, and thick vines hung from the ceiling. 

Jisung approached the main control board, setting down his bag and feeling across its surface. Looking for a way to open it, and figure out how it worked. Jaemin came up beside him to assist, scanning up and down, his eyes alight with curiosity. 

“Aha,” Jisung mumbled under his breath, and a moment later he was lifting the main control board up to reveal the system underneath. Jaemin sucked in a breath, eyes wide and reverent as he observed the inner workings of the machine.

It was like nothing Jeno had ever seen. Instead of copper wiring and oil, various vines and leaves intertwined with delicate metal, powering the machine. It was a marriage between two types of technology that Jeno had never known could exist, and the part of him that was an engineering ensign before becoming a helmsman was squealing in excitement.

“Wow,” he breathed, in awe. Jaemin nodded beside him, and Jisung was already running his finger along the vines, following them as they twisted back and forth, trying to figure out how they all worked together.

“It’s intricate and delicate, and without the vines constantly adjusting to keep the system running, it could never work.” Jisung looked up at them. Jaemin reached out to touch the plants, closing his eyes. When he opened them, realization dawned across his face. 

“Seeing this technology, I don’t think that it was an automated distress signal that we picked up on. Since the plant life and the Vesnians actively interact and maintain a positive relationship, the plants registered the Vesnians disappearance. These plants are just as alive as the Vesnians are. They purposefully sent out a call for help on their behalf.”

Jeno looked around the room in awe. “That’s incredible,” he said, overwhelmed. Jaemin nodded fervently.

“I’d heard a little bit about Vesnian technology, and I’d always wanted to see it in person. It’s even more incredible than I—” Jaemin stopped, exhaling in surprise. Jisung’s eyes snapped up from where he was fiddling with the computer system, and Jeno turned to see Jaemin fading, already half gone. 

“Jaemin!” Jeno lurched forward, crying out. He ripped the communicator from his belt and flipped it open. “Three to beam up, immediately!”

He was already caught in the beam when he saw Jaemin for the last time. His eyes were wide and peaceful, and he just smiled at Jeno one more time before he saluted, and Jeno was gone.

When he rematerialized, he panicked, looking around desperately. He saw Jisung and breathed out a sigh of relief, throwing his arms around the younger crew member and squeezing him tight. When he looked up, Jaemin was still nowhere to be seen.

He looked to Chenle, and there were tears in his eyes once again. “Jeno, I’m so sorry… I had him for a moment, but he was only a shadow. He -” Chenle choked back his tears. “He said it was okay, that he wasn’t going anywhere, and then he was gone. I couldn’t do anything, _again_.”

Just like the last time, Jeno didn’t know how to respond. Instead, he stepped off the transporter and pulled Chenle into a hug. “You did everything you could, Chenle,” he whispered. “I know Jaemin understands.”

Chenle shook in his arms, and Jeno held him tighter. 

——

The crew met back in the conference room, the loss of Jaemin hovering over them like a shadow as they sat in silence. Jeno tapped his fingers on the table, frowning. How could they have found nearly nothing of use on the planet _and_ lost Jaemin?

Mark looked to be in a similar state; a stormy expression on his face, and eyes filled with guilt. They all looked at the tracker’s location on the screen. It hadn’t moved since they’d activated it, staying in the Vesnian Central Command, and that didn’t bode well for Jaemin. 

“I don’t understand,” Donghyuck said, breaking the silence. His arms were crossed and his brow furrowed. His tone was short as he continued. “Why hasn’t it moved?”

“It stayed with Jaemin when he disappeared,” Yangyang said glumly. “Since it hasn’t moved it implies that…” They all turned to him, daring him to say it. Yangyang sighed. “It implies that Jaemin never got the chance to move anywhere else.”

Something about Yangyang’s statement felt wrong to Jeno, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. It seemed beyond belief that Renjun, Jaemin, Lucas, and Dejun could be dead. There was something resolutely wrong with the entire thought. 

Jeno sat bolt upright. “That’s it!”

“What?” Mark looked bewildered. Jeno wasn’t typically one to speak at meetings, usually only volunteering information when called upon or when expected to report. “What is it, Ensign Lee?”

“Yangyang said that the tracker stayed with Jaemin when he disappeared,” Jeno said breathlessly, standing up. “The fact that it hasn’t moved from Vesnian Central Command implies that he’s dead. But Ensign Zhong said he saw Jaemin’s shadow on the transporter before he vanished completely.” Chenle’s eyes widened in understanding. 

“So,” Jeno continued, “he has moved from Vesnian Central Command, but he dropped his tracker to make sure it remained, hoping we would realize something.” Jeno paced back and forth, rubbing his forehead. “But… what was Jaemin trying to tell us?”

Jeno froze mid-pace, and it dawned on him. “_Oh_,” he breathed. “Oh, _Jaemin_, that _is_ clever.”

“Jeno?” Mark’s voice cut through his thoughts, and Jeno started. “What is it?”

“The Vesnians are still on the planet,” Jeno said confidently. “And Lucas, Dejun, Renjun, and Jaemin are likely on board the USS _Dream_ now.” 

“That’s impossible,” Mark said, but his eyes were cautiously hopeful. “What do you mean?”

“Simple,” Jeno said. “We’ve been scanning for everything, trying to find some external force that moved the Vesnians and our crew members to a secondary location or prevented them from making contact, like a pandemic. Our officers have been trying every single explanation, scanning the nearest adjacent quadrants in every direction, but we never checked for any kind of distortion in spacetime.”

Donghyuck sucked in a deep breath, and Yanyang looked shocked. Mark bit his lip, regret in his eyes. It was such a simple solution, but they had overlooked it entirely.

Jeno continued on, emboldened by their response. “Jaemin, while vanishing, must have seen the Vesnians appearing before him as he was transferred onto their plane of existence.” Jeno’s mind was buzzing as he pieced it all together. “So he knew that he had to create some kind of disparity between our readings and what we saw that would help us realize that they haven't moved locations at all. He dropped his tracker on the planet to create that disparity, and tried to tell Chenle it would be okay, because he _wasn’t really going anywhere._” 

Chenle gasped, his hands coming to his mouth. “I thought the way he phrased it was a little weird… I wrote it off as him trying to reassure me. But he meant it literally!”

Jeno nodded. “And all of this explains the computers, too.”

“_Renjun_,” Yangyang breathed. “He must be leaving messages in the computer code, but I missed them because I waited before going through manually.”

Donghyuck breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew we couldn't get rid of that Vulcan idiot,” he said, grinning. Jeno couldn’t help but join in. 

Donghyuck sobered up. “So we know it’s a distortion in spacetime, then. But what’s causing it? Those don’t just _happen_.”

“I don’t know,” Jeno said. “I don’t think Jaemin or Renjun figured that part out, either. But at least now we know what we’re looking for and we can stop wasting our time on theories and get to actually solving the problem; bringing the Vesnians and our crew members back to this space and time.”

Mark nodded decisively. “Good. Lieutenant Donghyuck, take over for Doctor Na in the Science Department and medbay. The rest of you, return to your posts and be on call to assist the Science and Engineering Departments in whatever they might need. Meeting adjourned.”

——

“I started running scans for all types of energy from the bridge about an hour ago,” Jeno said, having made his way to engineering. Jisung wasn’t too far from him, still geeking out over the entire spacetime debacle. “Psi, Gamma, Null. Even Dark Matter. The results should be coming up down here eventually.”

Jisung grinned. “With the computer no longer glitching, I’m pretty sure the scans will be done any minute now.”

“The computer glitches have stopped?” Jeno questioned, surprised. Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Yeah. Renjun just wanted attention.” From somewhere in the engineering department, there was a clanging noise. “Jesus, Renjun, we get it!” Jisung snorted and said to Jeno, “We’re pretty sure he’s down here. When you ask him a specific question he’ll make things beep sometimes.”

Jeno snickered. “Sounds like Renjun.”

Jisung nodded. “Pretty much.” He was interrupted by a _ding_ over at the engineering station. He grinned. “The tests are done!”

The computer printed out a long series of numbers, and Jeno took the results in his hands, already skimming through them for answers.

“Incredible…” Jeno murmured, rifling through the pages. “This has been here all along, but we were just looking in the wrong place.”

“What is it?” Jisung was seemingly dying with curiosity, trying his best to lean around Jeno and see for himself. 

“The entire planet is shrouded in dark matter, but there doesn’t seem to be a source,” Jeno said, voice confused. “It’s almost like the dark matter is it’s own lifeform, but there’s no documentation of any known lifeforms composed solely of dark matter.” Jisung sat down at the engineering desk, letting Jeno lean over his shoulder as he typed into the computer. 

“I’m just checking the planetary readings from the day we estimated the Vesnians to have disappeared,” Jisung says, typing furiously. “See… right… _there_.” He pointed to a line of text, and Jeno squinted.

_mag.7.9_, the computer read.

“There was a tremor, that day, kind of like an earthquake except, well. Not Earth. A Vesnaquake?” Jisung laughed a little bit at that. “I’m suspecting that this really is a lifeform, and that the tremor was a result of this massive, non corporeal being settling itself on the planet’s surface.” Jisung shrugged. “No way to be one hundred percent sure, but that’s what it seems like to me. The question from there is… why did it settle on Vesna in the first place? And how is that connected to the inhabitants of Vesna shifting onto a different plane?”

Jeno thought about it. “There must be some motivation for it to settle, and it’s clearly the source of the distortions.” He leaned around Jisung and took control of the computer, scrolling through the readings up until the day the first away team disappeared. 

“Look, the dark matter levels swelled just slightly right around the time Renjun and the others disappeared,” Jeno said, pointing to one of the lines of numbers. Jisung squinted. 

“You’re right,” he says, leaning back. “Then…”

“Somehow, the creature must feed on the energy created by shifts in spacetime,” Jeno said. “It’s been moving the Vesnians and our crew members onto different planes to generate that energy for itself. After all, shifts in spacetime aren’t common. The creature must have found a way to artificially create those shifts, or its species would have died out.”

“Evolution once again comes in clutch,” Jisung said, eyes wide. Jeno laughed at that, leaning back and giving the computer back to Jisung. 

“I’ll go inform Mark, and we’ll start making a plan. After all, the hardest part of this whole thing is going to be getting this thing to leave.” Jisung waved vaguely back in his direction, furiously typing and assembling a report.

Jeno laughed to himself at Jisung’s hyperfocus and left to return to the bridge.

_——_

_Captain’s Log, Stardate 2223.42_

_Captain’s Log, Captain Mark Lee speaking. _

_Thanks to the actions of Ship’s Doctor Na Jaemin, we have unraveled the mystery here at Vesna. A non corporeal lifeform, composed primarily of dark matter, has settled on the surface of the planet. _

_In order to sustain itself, the lifeform has been creating distortions in space time, transferring our missing crew members and the inhabitants of Vesna onto different planes of existence, and feeding off of the residual energy. _

_Our new goal is to remove the creature from the surface of the planet through whatever means necessary, sealing the disruptions in space time and ensuring the safe return of the Vesnians and our own crew members. _

_We have been released from quarantine by order of Starfleet Command, and the NCT-0127 USS Seoul and NCT-2322 USS Vision are on hand to help us with this task. _

_Lee out. _

_——_

_Head Engineer’s Log, Stardate 2223.42_

_Head Engineer’s Log, Ensign Park Jisung speaking. _

_Upon the conclusion of the tests run under the advisement of Helmsman Lee Jeno, a timeline and reason for the disappearance of the Vesnians has been established. Attached to this log are the results of the aforementioned tests, and the analysis of those results._

_The crew has named the creature settled over Vesna… Arganeon. This name has no particular meaning, but satisfies the crew’s collective desire to name a newly discovered creature with a really long, seemingly important name that in fact, carries little to no meaning whatsoever. _

_As of now, there are no concrete plans to remove the creature from the planet, and the Engineering division awaits directions from the bridge._

_Park out. _

_——_

Jeno sighed, letting the hot water from the shower pour down his body. His muscles ached with exhaustion; the result of having been awake for nearly two days with no rest, as he worked around the clock to try to find a way to rid the planet’s surface of the creature. Frustratingly, they seemed to hit yet another impasse. 

The crew was unsure of the Arganeon’s motives for being there, and with Jaemin’s betazoid senses being inaccessible they had no means of discovering them. 

Jeno turned off the water and reached for a towel to wrap himself in before stepping out. He leaned over the sink and squinted at his blurry image in the fogged up mirror— his eyes looked sunken, and his skin pale. 

“God,” Jeno mumbled to himself. “How much longer till we figure out what the hell this thing wants? Having Jaemin would be helpful right about now…” He groaned and rubbed his eyes, sighing. He was about to turn away when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

Jeno stopped in his tracks and turned back to the mirror, eyes narrowed.

_‘JENO’_

There, written in the condensation, already dripping away, was his name. He watched as new letters drew themselves onto the mirror.

_‘IT’S JAEMIN’_

His eyes widened and he yelped, jumping backwards. “Jaemin! I’m naked, go away!”

_‘PLEASE, IT’S NOTHING I HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE’_

Jeno grabbed a second towel, hastily wrapping it around his torso. “It’s the principle of the thing, Jaemin! I can’t see you!”

_‘LISTEN, THE ARGANEON HAS A MOTHER. THEY GOT SEPARATED. I CAN SENSE ITS DISTRESS’_

Jeno raised his eyebrows, venturing a little closer to the mirror. “Okay… but how does that help us get the Arganeon off of Vesna?”

_‘IT’S ONLY SUCKING ENERGY BECAUSE ITS PARENT CANNOT FEED IT. REUNITE THEM. PROBLEM SOLVED’_

“Okay, I got that part,” Jeno said, rolling his eyes. “How exactly do you suggest we reunite them?”

_‘THE SHIP SMELLS OF THE CHILD. FIND THE MOTHER. LEAD HER BACK. THEY’LL LEAVE’_

Jeno blinked. “So. You’re saying we should find the mother, let her think we killed her child, and have her violently chase us through several quadrants back to said child?” 

_‘PRETTY MUCH’_

Jeno glared at the mirror. “I hope you’re aware that would really just put us all in danger.”

_‘...SORRY MR. HELMSMAN. I BELIEVE IN YOU ~’_

Jeno sighed to himself, trying to hold back a smile. “Jaemin, you’re really something else.”

“Thanks for the tip. Or… maybe not, because I was about to sleep, but now I have to go report new information.”

_‘WELL I’M TIRED OF ONLY HAVING RENJUN, LUCAS AND DEJUN TO TALK TO, SO SUFFER’_

Jeno laughed. “You’re running out of mirror, Nana.” A small sad face appeared in the corner. Jeno smiled at it fondly. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you in person soon.”

Jeno left his bathroom and looked longingly at his pajamas, all laid out nicely for him to sleep in. He sighed and turned away from them, tugging his Starfleet uniform back on and leaving to return once again to the bridge.

_——_

_Helmsman’s Log, Stardate 2223.44_

_Helmsman’s Log, Helmsman Lee Jeno speaking._

_Following a tip-off from ship’s doctor Na Jaemin through unofficial channels, I have scanned the surrounding quadrants and found a second lifeform twice the size of the one settled on Vesna. We suspect this lifeform to be the parent of the one settled on Vesna. _

_I have plotted a course to the second lifeform, and we intend to attempt to lure it back to Vesna, hopefully reuniting the pair and encouraging the Arganeon settled on Vesna to leave. No longer in need of a steady food source with the reappearance of its parent, it should no longer pose a threat, and move on._

_The most direct course unfortunately goes through an asteroid belt. However, Captain Mark Lee has expressed his belief that I and fellow helmsman Liu Yangyang can pass through safely under his command. _

_We commence the mission at approximately 1300 hours. _

_Lee out._

_——_

Jeno sat in his place at the helm, Yangyang beside him. Their course was plotted, but to pull this off without dying, he and Yangyang had best be pretty damn on top of things. 

After relaying Jaemin’s information to the bridge and plotting a course, Jeno finally fell into his bed— sleeping no less than seventeen hours straight. And he could _easily_ have slept more, had he not been awoken by Mark’s call to the bridge. 

“Helmsmen at the ready?” Mark asked, sitting down in the captain’s seat.

He and Yangyang turned to each other and nodded. Yangyang’s mouth was set in a hard line, his fingers already poised over the controls. Jeno met his determination with his own firm resolve, and put his hands in the ready position. They were ready to pilot the hell out of the Dream.

“Aye, Captain.” 

Mark nodded once, curt, and pressed a button on his armrest. He leaned onto his elbow and spoke loudly, his voice echoing through the halls of the ship as he said, “All hands, this is the Captain speaking. We are preparing to break orbit. I repeat, we are preparing to break orbit. Please make your way to your stations. All hands, please make your way to your stations. Thank you. Over.”

Mark let go of the button and turned back to Jeno and Yangyang. He straightened in his seat. “Computer, engage safety restraints.” The seatbelts unfolded, strapping the bridge crew into their seats. Mark met Jeno’s eyes. 

“Helmsman Lee,” he said. “Engage.”

“Aye, Captain,” Jeno said, and pulled the lever to engage. The ship’s engines roared to life, the floor humming louder beneath their feet, and they gathered speed, preparing to break orbit.

“Breaking orbit in three, two, one…” Yangyang delicately flipped the switch. “Now!” The Dream jolted forwards, pulling them out of Vesna’s orbit and into the rest of the Orias star system. For a moment they coasted, but Jeno directed the ship back on course. 

“Permission to jump to Warp Five, Captain.”

“Granted,” Mark said, his hands firmly on the armrests. Jeno pulled back the lever and they shot forwards, the stars streaking by as they sped up to Warp Five. Up ahead the asteroid belt loomed, and Yangyang pulled their speed down, the stars bouncing back into pinpricks as they slowed.

“Coming out of Warp, Captain. Approaching the asteroid belt. Shields at one hundred.”

“Take her in slowly, Liu,” Mark said. “We’ll need to keep those shields up for our speedy exit.”

“Understood, Captain,” Yangyang said, keeping careful control of their speed while Jeno navigated around the asteroids manually, the rocks too close together for any assistance from the autopilot. The entry was fairly easy, but it still required all of Jeno’s concentration; he tried to push back the worries that clogged the back of his thoughts.

With luck, the shields would hold, but they could be looking at some serious potential damage even if he and Yangyang made no mistakes. The asteroids were simply too close together. He chanced a look at Yangyang, and by the look on his face, he’d reached the same conclusion.

“Captain,” Jeno said. “I recommend that we separate before proceeding further.”

Mark’s face was stony. “Helmsman Liu, do you agree?”

Yangyang nodded. “The danger posed is too great. I agree with Helmsman Lee. The saucer should separate and retreat above the belt, ensuring the safety of nonessential staff.” 

Mark considered for a moment. “Understood. Engaging emergency protocol, transferring senior staff and starship control to the battle bridge and turning control of main bridge over to Ensign Cantwell.” He pressed a button on his chair, and the seatbelts disengaged, the Dream drifting to a stop, the asteroids hanging ominously on the screen as they left the bridge.

“This is the captain speaking. We are engaging emergency protocol, and preparing for saucer separation. All personnel, evacuate the stardrive section of the ship, and senior officers make your way to the battle bridge. Ensign Cantwell, you have the conn. We will commence separation once all senior staff is accounted for on the battle bridge and the secondary staff has the conn. Thank you.”

Jeno and Yangyang hurried into the elevator beside Donghyuck. Mark joined them and the elevator shot down, opening back onto the battle bridge. 

“Stations,” Mark ordered. “Engineering, do you copy?”

“Copy!” Jisung’s voice comes over strong on the communicator. “Main staff has evacuated the area. Myself and Ensign Zhong are on standby, ready to assist.”

“Saucer, report in. Secondary bridge crew, report.”

“Present and accounted for, captain.” Ensign Cantwell’s voice comes over the communicators. “We are ready for separation.”

Mark nodded, and turned to Donghyuck. “Commander, engage the saucer separation.”

Donghyuck nodded, and the docking clamps connecting the saucer to the stardrive section hissed as the ceiling above them groaned. “Power is being re-routed to the primary hull sources,” Donghyuck reported. “Thirty seconds to vehicle separation.”

The battle bridge began to shake, the starship engines humming. Jeno braced himself, and Donghyuck said, “Docking latches retracting. Twenty seconds to vehicle separation.”

The hum became more of a roar, and Jeno could barely hear Donghyuck counting down. “Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven…” With an almighty heave, the Dream separated, and Jeno fell back in his seat, the shaking beginning to relent as the saucer soared up and away from them in the viewscreen. 

“Saucer separation completed,” Donghyuck said, flipping a few switches on his control board. “Stardrive section remains warp capable, shields at one hundred. Saucer, report.”

“Saucer section undamaged.” Ensign Cantwell reported, his voice collected. “Saucer evacuating to Starbase Eleven with the USS _Vision_ as an escort. USS _Seoul_ is remaining on hand to assist the stardrive section upon return to Vesna.”

“We copy, Ensign,” Donghyuck said. “Stardrive section out.”

“Prepare to resume mission,” Mark said, and Jeno put his hands back over the controls, Yangyang mirroring him to his right. 

“Engage.” On Mark’s command they shot forward again, delicately maneuvering through the asteroid belt to the location of the mother Arganeon. 

They had barely cleared the belt when the viewscreen went haywire; Jeno had programmed it to scan for large concentrations of dark matter. A massive entity composed of dark matter, as Jeno’s scans detected, loomed ahead. 

“Well, there’s the mother Arganeon,” Yangyang breathed beside Jeno, who swallowed, overwhelmed by the creatures sheer size. It was massive— easily ten times larger than the one on Vesna. 

“Hold,” Mark said, voice firm. “Approach slowly, wait for her to smell us, and when she responds begin the escape back to Vesna.” Mark looked to them, eyes serious. “Helmsmen, we’re all counting on you.”

Jeno and Yangyang met eyes and looked back to Mark. Jeno nodded, once. 

“Taking her in.” He engaged the throttle, inching the Dream forward, Yangyang controlling the thrust. The bridge fell silent, the hum of the engines the only sound they heard as Jeno redirected his focus into his piloting and being in sync with Yangyang.

His eyes were fixed on the Arganeon, the lights blinking a steady yellow in the viewscreen, outlining its figure. The closer they got, the more his eyes strained for a response, the sign to turn tail and retreat through the asteroid belt. 

As the Arganeon loomed around them, growing larger and larger the closer they drew; the silence on the bridge grew thick with anticipation. Despite them being practically on top of her, the Arganeon didn’t move. Jeno shivered, the non-response concerning him.

“Maybe it can’t smell the child?” Yangyang’s voice was barely above a whisper, his brow furrowed in confusion. 

The viewscreen roared to life, the yellow lights began to flash frantically red, and the creature lunged forward, nearly engulfing the _Dream_. “Never mind!” Yangyang yelped, hands flying across the controls.

“Retreat!” Mark yelled, gripping his armrests as Jeno lurched the _Dream_ into reverse, Yangyang already spinning them around in a wide circle to face away from the creature.

“Jisung! Give us all the power you have without going to Warp!” Jeno yelled, the Arganeon screeching as they darted into the asteroid belt. “This thing is faster than we thought!”

Yangyang yanked them into a drift, careening around a massive asteroid, barely scraping the side. Alarms went off in Jeno’s peripheral vision, but he was too busy pushing them into a barrel roll to avoid a slightly smaller asteroid that had come flying into view after they cleared the first.

“Donghyuck! Status report!” Mark gritted his teeth, swaying to the side as they swung out into open space, barely missing the asteroid by an inch. 

“Shields at eighty and holding, Captain!” Donghyuck violently pressed buttons on his console, barley gripping the edge of his seat as the Arganeon roared behind them, breaking through an asteroid and sending the shrapnel hurtling towards the Dream. The Dream rattled as the rocks hit her side, and Jeno jolted in his seat, barely managing to keep his hands on the controls.

“Uh. I take that back. Shields at seventy five, seventy five and holding!” Donghyuck yelled, as a siren went off and a warning flashed across the screen. Jeno barely registered Donghyuck’s words as they flew through the belt, he and Yangyang barley correcting for the upcoming asteroids in time, and he could feel them slowly losing control.

“Can we take a hit?” Jeno yelled. 

“_What_?” Donghyuck looked horrified. “Not really, no!” 

“Well, we might not have a choice!” Ahead of them, two huge asteroids were floating slowly towards one another, the space between them slowly lessening. “I don’t think we’ll make it! There’s no way we’re going fast enough, and there’s no time to go around them!” 

The engines roared beneath their feet, the cabin shaking from the strain. Jeno gasped, thrown forward in his seat. 

“Jisung!” He yelled. “Can you give us warp?”

“Only for a few seconds with the shields in this state!” Jisung’s voice was nearly drowned out by the humming of the ships mechanics. “But it’s too dangerous to jump to warp in an asteroid belt! You could slam us into an asteroid, and at that speed, the _Dream_ would be scrap metal!”

“She’ll be scrap metal either way,” Yangyang pointed out, backing Jeno. “I think Jeno’s right. It’s either jump to Warp and risk destruction, stay at our current speed and be crushed when those two asteroids collide, or stop and be wiped from existence in this plane by the Arganeon.”

Mark gripped the armrests of his chair. “Do it, Jisung!” His eyes flickered to Jeno. “Helmsman Lee, engage!”

Jeno pulled the lever, and they shot forward, clearing the asteroids in seconds, the two slamming together right as the Dream shot safely out the other side. Jeno disengaged, and beside him, Yangyang cheered. 

The victory was short-lived, the Arganeon smashing through the asteroids as though they were made of glass, and giving chase once again. Jeno pulled back the throttle and they shot forward, weaving through the smaller asteroids with ease.

“Almost there,” Mark said. “Edge of the belt approaching in the viewscreen! Commander Lee, shield report!”

“Shields at seventy and holding, captain! It should be safe to jump to a low level warp once we’ve cleared the asteroids.” 

Mark nodded, resolute. “Ensigns Park and Zhong, are you ready with warp two?” 

“Ready, Captain! It’ll be tough, but I think we’ll be able to hold it until we return to Vesna and are received by the _Seoul_. I’ve sent a transmission for them to be prepared to shield us with their tractor beam on entry.” Jisung’s voice was confident, and they could hear Chenle’s added hums of agreement.

“Understood, Ensign. Helmsmen, prepare to engage at warp factor two in order to more easily stay out ahead of the Arganeon as soon as we clear the belt.”

“Aye, Captain,” Yangyang responded. Jeno focused in, pushing them down and under one final asteroid before they shot out into open space, the expanse of the stars more welcoming than ever before. 

“Engage!” Mark’s voice was hoarse, and he barked out the final orders over the Arganeon’s angry roars from behind them. 

Yangyang pulled the lever, and they shot forward, the stars streaking by in the initial jump before settling back, slipping by smoothly. 

“Captain, Warp is damaging our shields further! Shields at sixty five, and slipping!” Donghyuck reported. “Sixty three, sixty.”

“Can she hold out until Vesna?” Mark’s voice was steady, a sheen of sweat visible on his forehead, eyes fixed on the viewscreen. Donghyuck frowned, fiddling with his controls. He looked up, eyes narrowed and concerned. 

“Maybe...” he said, dragging the word out. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.”

Mark paused, considering the options. The Arganeon growled behind them, and that decided it for him. “We can’t risk the Arganeon catching up. Jeno, Yangyang, maintain warp.”

“Shields at forty!” Donghyuck yelled. Jeno kept his hand at full throttle, and the ship shook like she was about to fall apart.

“Thirty!” The stars streaked by outside the window, and Jeno looked out into the vast expanse of space; if he was going to die young, at least he couldn’t imagine a better place to be than among the stars. 

“Twenty!” Jeno squeezed his eyes shut, the metal beginning to heat up underneath his palms, the light from the stars beginning to slip through the shields. Beside him, Yangyang held the lever in place, keeping them in warp. The Arganeon roared, frustrated by the Dream remaining just barely out of reach. 

“Shields at ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!” Donghyuck’s voice became more dejected with each number he called, but suddenly, as if by a miracle, Vesna hurtled into view across the viewscreen. 

“_DISENGAGE_!” Mark’s voice echoed through the bridge, and Yangyang yanked the lever back, pulling them out of warp at the last possible second. The USS _Dream_ shuddered to a halt, the controls hissing and smoke curling up from under the control boards. The lights died and the humming of the engines ceased as the starship’s systems died, but the ship was already safe, caught up in warm light of the _Seoul’s_ tractor beam.

The Arganeon flew into view, shooting past the Dream thanks to its abrupt stop, and looked out over Vesna. On the screen, they could see the two creatures reuniting, the baby Arganeon lifting itself from the surface of Vesna and returning to its mother, their cries echoing joyfully in the void of space as they shot away.

Jeno peeled his hand off the throttle and leaned back in his chair. He breathed out a sigh and let his eyes fall shut as the adrenaline began to wear off, leaving him drained. His arms felt heavy and sore.

“Well, that was certainly a wild ride.” He heard an amused voice, and when he cracked an eye open, Jaemin was leaning against the helm, a grin on his face. His eyes met Jeno’s and they went soft. “I’m back.”

Jeno grinned. “I can see that, but I’m too tired to move, so you’re going to have to do the work here.” 

Jaemin snickered. “Sure thing, baby.” 

He leaned down over the helm and kissed him sweetly, his hand coming up to cradle Jeno’s cheek. Jeno smiled against his lips, and when they parted, Jeno sighed, settling his hand into Jaemin’s. 

“God, Nana, I missed you so much.” 

Jaemin smiled. “I’ll always come back. ‘Til death do we part!”

“Lord. As the humans say, _‘get a room’_.” Jeno nearly snapped his neck turning around. Renjun was standing beside Mark, looking as solid as ever, Vulcan disdain clear on his face. 

Donghyuck snickered. “Even the Vulcan is sick of you guys.” Jeno rolled his eyes. 

“You know damn well we’re normally good about the PDA rule, Donghyuck, but it’s been a long week, so shut up and let me kiss my husband.” 

Mark sighed, and a smile settled across his features. “I’m just glad to have my crew back,” he said, his tone filled with warmth. “Jeno’s right, this has been a hell of a week. The Dream isn’t exactly in great shape, so let’s hail the _Seoul_ and get the hell out of here.”

——

_Transmission to Starfleet Command via NCT-0127 USS Seoul. Stardate 2223.49_

_Transmission to Starfleet Command via NCT-0127 USS Seoul, Captain Mark Lee of the NCT-1701 USS Dream speaking. _

_We have departed from Vesna for Starbase Eleven to meet up with the rest of our crew. The senior staff is safe aboard the USS Seoul, including Officers Huang Renjun and Na Jaemin. According to their intel, Officers Xiao Dejun and Lucas Wong remained in the saucer part of the ship and will be awaiting us upon our arrival to Starbase Eleven._

_In this transmission, I must highlight the extraordinary skill, determination, and professionalism displayed by my crew in the mission for Vesna. Helmsmen Lee Jeno and Liu Yangyang in particular showed exemplary discipline and piloted the crew to safety through a dangerous asteroid belt, even once jumping to warp, with no loss of life._

_For now, the crew will remain on shore leave at Starbase eleven, the NCT-1701 USS Dream currently undergoing extensive repairs. We will resume our five year mission when the USS Dream is ready to fly again._

_I thank you for your confidence in us through these trying times. The USS Dream has proven itself superior once again, and we will continue to boldly go where no man has gone before. _

_Captain Lee out. _


End file.
